The monolithic walls loomed over the large courtyard. Weathered graffiti spread across the crumbling brickwork telling its story of despair. Sprayed eyes stared unblinking across the concrete, their gaze reflecting the lifelessness of the children’s own eyes; those who stood entombed within the four walls. Silent screams emanated from the young bodies, filling the acrid air like an invisible mire that drowned those who are drawn to its haunting ethereal mists or fell into its deathly caresses when everyone else pushed them away.
The girl tried to run, one leg stumbling in front of the other, her own exhaustion tripping her up whilst her mind tried to concentrate on escape, getting away from them and ‘it’. The dry, thick air stifled her breathing, her head was pounding and exhaustion ravaged her limbs. She could not see straight any more, blurred repetitions of the world around her, fading like ghosts. As she turned her head looking from an escape, she could only see more and more wire fencing blocking her path as if she were a prison inmate.
The colours blurred and edges became lost to her. She fell against the rust coloured wire fence, its lattice weaving digging into her face. Dried encrusted dust separated from the rusting metal, billowing into her mouth and removing what little moisture remained as she choked, bile rising from her empty stomach. She clawed with her fingers at the fence, trying to pull herself up with no avail as her legs gave in again and again. As she fell to the floor, her tired limbs finally giving up, she turned her back against the fence, gouging flesh on broken wire. The clay-like dust mixed with the red blood added further agony upon her senses, layering on top of her exhaustion and terror and almost bringing a torrid sense of peace amidst her panic ridden mind.
She gazed randomly upon all the children, her eyes tearing from one child to the next. They stood like statues, all facing her, all motionless; all dead in their souls. Their eyes bore into her and penetrated her fractured soul, threatening to shatter it like a mirror; breaking her. Unspoken voices tell her to give herself to ‘it’ and let go of life, for she would be all the sweeter to feast upon.
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Sometimes dreams can be so lucid, they slip away within moments of waking. Some stick like glue all day, good or bad. Then there are those that are so vivid upon the end of sleep, you force yourself to remember, and try to keep it as a memory because it is significant. This is one of those dreams, not significant because it foretold the future or is a meaningful alternative of my reality, but purely for the story and how real the drama felt. There are no answers here, just a passing of time and events with very slight artistic embellishment.
The monolithic walls loomed over the large courtyard. Weathered graffiti spread across the crumbling brickwork telling its story of despair. Sprayed eyes stared unblinking across the concrete, their gaze reflecting the lifelessness of the children’s own eyes; those who stood entombed within the four walls. Silent screams emanated from the young bodies, filling the acrid air like an invisible mire that drowned those who are drawn to its haunting ethereal mists or fell into its deathly caresses when everyone else pushed them away.
The girl tried to run, one leg stumbling in front of the other, her own exhaustion tripping her up whilst her mind tried to concentrate on escape, getting away from them and ‘it’. The dry, thick air stifled her breathing, her head was pounding and exhaustion ravaged her limbs. She could not see straight any more, blurred repetitions of the world around her, fading like ghosts. As she turned her head looking from an escape, she could only see more and more wire fencing blocking her path as if she were a prison inmate.
The colours blurred and edges became lost to her. She fell against the rust coloured wire fence, its lattice weaving digging into her face. Dried encrusted dust separated from the rusting metal, billowing into her mouth and removing what little moisture remained as she choked, bile rising from her empty stomach. She clawed with her fingers at the fence, trying to pull herself up with no avail as her legs gave in again and again. As she fell to the floor, her tired limbs finally giving up, she turned her back against the fence, gouging flesh on broken wire. The clay-like dust mixed with the red blood added further agony upon her senses, layering on top of her exhaustion and terror and almost bringing a torrid sense of peace amidst her panic ridden mind.
She gazed randomly upon all the children, her eyes tearing from one child to the next. They stood like statues, all facing her, all motionless; all dead in their souls. Their eyes bore into her and penetrated her fractured soul, threatening to shatter it like a mirror; breaking her. Unspoken voices tell her to give herself to ‘it’ and let go of life, for she would be all the sweeter to feast upon.
Inside a chest, enclosed in the dark oak of memories a solitary feeling scuttles around in the dark, seeking, knowing once it had been so much more. It has tried to escape, sneaking through cracks. It hears its name whispered across the air, sometimes it recognises the voice and other times it does not. But the black tar that lines the lid stings and it goes back to resting in the darkest corner.
The man looks down upon this chest, small and heavy. The key in his hand, worn down by the years since it had last been used. The surface of the chest is old and stained, it released a stench of fear and regret as he pulled out from the ground that he had buried it in so long ago. The handles slippery with the vile black substance the chest secreted. He had become angry with it, as he pulled it from its grave. His hands slipped and the dirt kept falling, covering the chest. The labour was painful and tiring, but he knew the chest and his buried emotions must be exhumed.
Sun beat down across the landmass that emanated from the south of the island. Air was humid, begging for Storm to honour it with it’s battle drums and spears to clear the way. Rock sat patiently whilst the beating of Sun pounded against the stone, the heat being given to Air. Rock took some for itself, it only lost to Air as the day wore on.
Sea lapped quietly at Rock, cooling waters followed directions taken by its ancestors, who slowly formed a passage into the land. The deep currents and shallow waves brought up Thought from the depths, carried up from the deepest trenches where Life knew how to live.
As Rock warmed, Thought moved through the dark caves carved and settled in by Sea. It left the waves and found parts of Air forgotten but traces of Sun mapped a way through heat and then light.
Thought spilled out rising on the warm currents and causing Air to move more than it cared as Sun burned away. Wind saw a chance to fly once more and carried the thought inland. Thought found Tree and its leaves whispered the word “Follow”.
